The Lucky Ones
by AliasCWN
Summary: Sick friends and responsibilities. They don't always work together.


**The Lucky Ones**

 **By: AliasCWN**

"Hey Hitch! Do you have a minute?"

Mark Hitchcock turned around to find Bernie Walker, a fellow private, hurrying to catch up to him.

"What's up Bernie?"

"I need someone to stand guard duty for me today. I've ask everybody but they're all busy. Any chance you could do it? I know you just got in so you probably won't be going back out right away."

"I don't know Bernie. I'd have to check with Sarge."

"Could you? It would mean a lot to me. I'd make it up to you somehow."

Hitch looked at Bernie, noting the red, flushed face, rapid breathing, and bright eyes.

"Are you feeling okay Bernie?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Just a little tired. Can you do it Hitch?"

The Rat Patrol had just finished a five day recon and were slated for a rest period.

"I'll talk to Sarge and see if we're going out again. Where will you be so I can let you know?"

"In my tent. I need a nap. Thanks Hitch.'

"Don't thank me yet. I still have to get Sarge to say okay. See you in a little bit. Oh, and maybe I should know when and where you're supposed to stand guard."

Bernie smiled sheepishly and gave him the information. Hitch watched him walk away, swaying as he went.

A short while later Hitch found Bernie asleep on his bunk. He woke him to tell him that Troy had not had a problem with Hitch standing guard. Bernie was still red-faced and breathing heavily.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just a little cold and fever. Nothing to worry about. I just didn't feel good. Thanks for taking my watch. You ever need a favor, look me up." In the dim light of the tent Bernie looked like his eyes had sunk into his head. The circles underneath were darker than they'd been just a short time before.

Hitch left to get some food before he took Bernie's turn at watch. He didn't check on his friend when he was through, deciding that the other soldier needed his rest. The next morning he was on his way to Bernie's tent to see how he was feeling when Tully found him and told him they were going out on another patrol.

The patrol took them deep into German territory. Rumors of a new supply line had to be confirmed. Moffitt had picked up a hint that the Germans were moving an unusual amount of supplies to certain bases. It was their job to find out what was being moved, how much, and why….and then destroy it.

Troy and Moffitt had left Hitch and Tully with the jeeps while they disguised themselves as Arabs and went into a nearby town. The British sargent had hoped to pick up new information in the local tea house.

The sargents had been gone for several hours and Tully was on guard. He spotted two tall Arabs coming toward their location. As they got closer he recognized the sargents. Turning to pass the word to Hitch, he was alarmed to see Hitch sitting in the sand leaning against the wheel. Sliding down the knoll, he hurried to his friends' side.

"Hitch. Everything okay?" The blonds' face was pale under his tan. Tully noticed that his hands were shaking as he wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Tully reached for a canteen and helped Hitch unscrew the lid and take a drink.

"Don't feel the best. I'll be okay." Hitch finally gasp. "Just needed a drink. Hot today." The short conversation had him laboring to breathe. He leaned against the tire and closed his eyes.

Tully was still kneeling by his side watching him with concern when Troy and Moffitt arrived.

"I thought I left someone on guard." Troy growled as he noticed both privates by the jeep. "Did everyone forget that this is enemy territory?" He was scowling when he approached the jeep. Anything else he may have said was lost when he saw Hitch. "What happened? What's wrong?"

Tully shook his head. "Hitch was watching the jeeps while I stood guard. I looked down and he was trying to get a drink. He looks sick Sarge."

Troy didn't answer or make a comment. He reached over and rested the palm of his hand on his drivers' forehead.

"I'm fine Sarge." Hitch protested. "Just needed a drink."

"Yeah sure. Find some shade and sit down." Troy jerked his head at the other two. They moved around the jeep and lowered their voices. "What do you think Doctor?"

"Looks like he's running a fever. He seemed fine when we left. Maybe a flu of something." Moffitt shrugged his shoulders. "All we can do is watch him and hope for the best. Some aspirin tablets might help."

"What about the supply line? Did you find out anything Sarge?" Tully changed the subject. If they could finish the mission they could get Hitch back to a doctor.

"We'll try to hit the cache tonight. There's another one three days east of here. That's where they're getting the supplies. If we hit that one too, we can solve the problem. We'll check with headquarters and see if they'd be satisfied with that solution."

They hopped into the jeeps and drove for an hour before they radioed headquarters. Troy kept an eye on Hitch but he seemed to improve after the drink.

He was still not his usual energetic self as they prepared to set the charges in the German supply depot but Hitch helped get the charges ready. Tully watched him all the way to the base, worry written all over his face.

They managed to get into the supply building and set the charges. There were a lot of guards but they weren't expecting trouble. With the timers set and the charges in place, four shadows moved silently toward the edge of the base and the protection of the black desert.

Moffitt led the way toward the gate with Tully right behind him. Troy crossed an open area and caught up with them. The sound of footsteps echoed from down the street. Troy heard them and motioned Moffitt and Tully to move out. He looked behind him to tell Hitch to go but the blond was not there. Looking around frantically, he spotted his driver leaning against a wall on the other side of the open area. As he watched, the German patrol spotted Hitch and ran toward him. The blond tried to rise but slumped to the ground instead, gasping for breath. The patrol kicked his weapon away and pushed him flat on the ground. A dozen guns were pointed at his head. Troy watched helplessly as a second patrol joined the first. Hitch was hauled away by the first patrol while the second one launched a search for more intruders. With no other choice, Troy slipped into deeper shadows and hurried to catch up to Tully and Moffitt.

"What happened? Where's Hitch?" Moffitt ask.

"He got caught. I turned around and he was gone. I saw him leaning against a wall about the same time a German patrol spotted him. When a second patrol showed up I had no choice but to leave."

"We're going after him aren't we?" Tully ask anxiously.

"I'll go in and take a look." Moffitt offered. "An Arab wandering around might not set off any alarms."

Troy considered it.

"I can do this Sam. They won't be expecting anyone to come after him so soon."

"Alright Doctor. But don't take any unnecessary chances. I don't want to have to come in after you too."

Moffitt nodded and went to change into his Arab disguise.

Troy and Tully watched him go. They settled on a high point to watch his progress. He wasn't gone long. They met him at the jeeps.

"It's no good Troy." He offered as soon as he had slipped out of his Arab robes. "There's a guard on every corner. And they're not asleep. They're ready for us."

"But we're going after him aren't we?" Tully insisted.

"No."

"Sarge!"

"Tully, we can't. You heard Moffitt. They're waiting for us. We can't handle that many guards. Even if we tried, they're liable to kill Hitch rather than let us rescue him . We go and get the second target, then we come back. Maybe by then they will have decided we're not coming and they'll relax."

"What if they send him to a POW camp before we get back?" Tully couldn't keep the worry out of his tone. "Maybe they'll kill him before we get back. We can't leave him." Tully looked to Moffitt for help.

"We don't have a choice Tully." Moffitt tried to explain. "You know our orders. Headquarters wants the second target hit right away. We can't wait to rescue Hitch. He'll have to hold on until we get back."

"But what if they send him to a POW camp?" Tully repeated.

"Then we will find out where they sent him and go after him." Moffitt tried to reason with him.

"Look Tully. I don't know what happened. Why Hitch stopped. But I do know that he'll do his best to stay alive. But he'll have to do it on his own until we get back. We really don't have a choice."

Tully frowned. He thought about what was at stake. Finally he reluctantly nodded, not happy, but resigned.

"We'll come back for him? No matter what headquarters says?" He looked at the sargents for confirmation.

"We'll come back and we will find him." Troy promised solemnly.

"Then we'd better go get the job done. Hitch is waiting." Troy and Moffitt both nodded agreement. They piled into the jeeps and moved their camp further from the base.

Six days later found them once again outside the German base. Moffitt donned his Arab clothing and entered the base, trying to find out if Hitch was still being held there. There was a frown on his face when he returned.

Tully stood to face him. "Don't say it Doc! Don't say it!" His face was twisted with pain.

"No Tully." The British sargent hurried to assure him. "It sounds like he's there. And he's alive."

"Then what's wrong Doc? Let's go get him."

"Tully." Troy reached out to touch Tully's arm. "Let Moffitt tell us what he found. Then we'll decide how to handle this."

Tully looked from one to the other. Both sargents met his gaze without looking away. Trusting them, he tried to relax and wait to hear Moffitts' report. Troy encouraged Moffitt to start talking.

"I went past the headquarters building. I wandered through most of the German sector without being challenged. Troy, the entire area, both German and Arab sectors were crowded when we were here last. They're practically empty now. Hardly anyone was out. There is a guard on the building where they were holding Hitch. I heard a guard mention the prisoner. I'm almost certain he was talking about Hitch."

"So they're relaxed, not expecting us?" Troy watched Moffitt closely.

"That's the thing, they're too relaxed. I can't put my finger on it. Something doesn't feel right." He paused and sighed deeply. He glanced at Tully before he continued. "I'm just saying, we're going to have to be extra alert. It could be a trap."

Troy nodded, confident that Moffitt was not holding anything back.

"Then we go in tonight. All three of us. I don't want to split us up if we run into trouble." Troy looked to each of the others for any questions.

"I'll get us something to eat while we wait." Tully offered. He began to rummage around in the back of the jeep for the k-rations. He wanted to keep busy. Thinking about Hitch made him uneasy and restless.

Troy watched Tully, knowing how he felt. "Moffitt. Draw me a map of the base." The British sargent knelt in the sand and sketched the layout. He marked an 'x' for each guard. As he studied the map, Troy understood why his second was suspicious. The guards were scattered throughout the German sector but there weren't many of them, Not near as many as Troy would have expected.

Troy waited for the guards to change. Then he waited a little while longer to let the new ones get bored. The three of them made their way to the building where Moffitt was convinced Hitchcock was being held. Moffitt waited outside, guarding their escape route. Tully hit the guard who stood outside the building. He and Troy entered, taking turns checking each corner. To their surprise, they didn't find a single guard inside the building. They found the keys to the cells hanging on the wall. Tully stood watch while Troy checked each cell. Finding each of them empty, he was starting to worry, until he reached the last one. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Hitch lying on the cot. His concern returned when his driver failed to respond to his attempts to wake him. Failing at that, he gently lifted him into a fireman's carry and rushed out to join Tully and Moffitt.

"How is he Doctor?'

Moffitt had examined Hitch as soon as they reached the jeeps. Seeing no wounds, it was decided to get out of the area before the Germans sent someone after them. Now, safe in a camp tucked away in the hills. Moffitt was trying to determine why the blond was still unconscious.

"I don't know Troy. His breathing is labored. There's a slight fever. It might be some strain of influenza. I just can't tell. He wasn't feeling well before we went in that night, Maybe that had something to do with what happened."

"He should have told me."

"You know Hitch. He doesn't admit to hurting and he wouldn't use not feeling well as an excuse to stay behind." Moffitt finished his exam and sat on his heels. "The only thing I can do is try to keep him cool. We need to get him to a doctor. This is way beyond my area of expertise."

They rolled into Allied headquarters with Hitchcock still unresponsive. The jeeps stopped outside the medical tent. Tully went inside to get help. Troy and Moffitt loaded Hitch onto the stretcher brought out by two corpsmen in surgical masks. A doctor, also wearing a mask, stepped out of the tent and took one look at Hitch before calling to an MP standing nearby. Even the MP wore a mask.

"Take this patient to the quarantine tent." He told the corpsmen. Turning to the MP, he indicated Troy, Moffitt and Tully. "Take these men to the other quarantine tent and keep them there."

"What?" Troy started to protest.

"Go. I will check your friend and then I'll be in to see you . I'll explain then." He started to turn away. "Sargent, don't try to leave the tent until I return." His voice was slightly muffled through the mask but the warning was clear.

The MP escorted them to a tent standing by itself. He ushered them inside and took up a position outside the door. Troy found it enlightening to note that he didn't stand with his back to the tent, but facing it.

Tully and Moffitt sat on the cots and watched Troy pace the small area.

"They're going to need time to take care of Hitch." Moffitt made an attempt to calm the others. Troy was pacing and Tully was sitting stiffly on the bed. Watching Troy wear a groove in the dirt floor, Tully kept his ears open to the sounds outside. He was the first to realize that the doctor was returning.

"Sargent." The doctor stepped through the tent door, his mask still in place. Troy glanced at his watch. It had been almost two hours since their arrival.

"How's Hitch? What's going on?"

"You man will live Sargent. We gave him fluids and oxygen to help him breathe. He was conscious for a short time. He's sleeping now." The doctor studied each of them in turn. "Are any of you feeling ill? Fever, chills, weakness, labored breathing?"

"The symptoms Hitch was exhibiting." Moffitt noted.

"Precisely. Now answer the question." The doctor sounded tired.

"No. None of us are feeling ill. Hitch was the only one who was sick. What's this all about?"

"When did he get sick?" The doctor started to ask questions as he took the temperature of all three men.

Troy explained about the onset of Hitchcock's symptoms and how they'd lost him for a while. The doctor started nodding halfway through his narrative and encouraged him to continue. He gave each of them a quick medical exam. When he was through, he removed his mask. Rubbing tired eyes, he smiled at them.

"Well Sargent, you and your men are lucky."

"Hitch didn't look too lucky." Tully muttered.

The doctor smiled at his comment. "Actually, you're wrong. Your friend is very lucky. And he must have a strong will to live. We have been fighting an outbreak of a very nasty strain of influenza. Not all of those who contracted it survived. That your friend survived it without treatment is a miracle in itself. It's highly contagious and deadly. We were warned to watch for it. It still ran rampant for a few days."

"Then why didn't we get it?" Tully wondered.

"Well, from what you just told me, you were lucky. Your friend was exposed before he left base. He was just starting to show symptoms when he was captured. Another day and he would have been contagious. My guess, he passed that stage while he was a prisoner. By the time you rescued him, he wasn't contagious anymore."

"That explains why there weren't too many guars around." Moffitt said to himself.

"What do you mean Sargent?"

"If Hitch was contagious while he was a prisoner, the Germans probably have their own little outbreak right about now."

The doctor nodded.

Tully grinned for the first time since finding out Hitch was sick. "That'll teach'em to keep their hands off our guys."

'You're free to go. I'll inform the MP."

"Can we see Hitch?"

"He's sleeping. He'll make a full recovery but he needs his rest right now. Why don't you go check on him but don't wake him. Then go get some sleep yourselves. Drop by and visit him tomorrow." He showed them where Hitch was sleeping. His pale face looked peaceful.

"Is the epidemic over then Doctor?" Moffitt ask quietly so as not to wake Hitch.

"Yes Sargent, it looks that way. We haven't had a new case in three days, at least until you and your guys showed up. The good news is that you're not going to start it again."

"I guess we should avoid the German base then, at least until they can say the same. We wouldn't want to push our luck."


End file.
